1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and a projector.
2. Related Art
A projection display device such as a projector is widely used. The projector separates a beam emitted from a light source into different color beams, modulates the separated color beams to generate color image beams, and combines the color image beams to generate a color image, thereby enlarging and projecting the color image onto a screen. The projector includes a light modulator for modulating the separated color beams to generate the color image beams.
A liquid crystal light valve including a liquid crystal device is used for the light modulator. The liquid crystal device includes a seal member disposed in the circumferential portion between a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal encapsulated in an area surrounded with the seal member. Electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal are provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates. By driving the liquid crystal with application of a voltage across the pair of substrates, it is possible to modulate transmittance of incident light in a unit of a pixel. Accordingly, it is possible to generate the color image beams.
However, in the projector described above, it is necessary to emit a high-intensity beam from the light source in order to secure brightness of the color image enlarged and projected onto the screen. When the high-intensity beam is incident onto a light modulation area of the liquid crystal device, the quality of the liquid crystal deteriorates due to the decomposition or polymerization of the liquid crystal. As a result, the light modulation characteristic of the liquid crystal device changes, and the reliability of the projector is deteriorated.
In addition, JP-A-6-082799 discloses a technology in which impurities are forcibly transferred into a liquid crystal material by heating a liquid crystal panel after performing a liquid crystal injecting process and new liquid crystal is supplied through an injection hole at one side while discharging dirty liquid crystal through an injection hole at the other side, thereby removing impurities existing in the panel. However, the technology disclosed in JP-A-6-082799 cannot cope with deterioration of the liquid crystal due to the use of the projector.